The given name Nikolas is derived from the Greek name Nikolaos, which is a combination of the Greek words "nikan" meaning "to conquer" and "laos" meaning "people." The name can be translated to mean "victor of the people" or "conqueror of the people." This name originated in ancient Greece and has been in use since the 4th century BC.

The name Nikolas gained popularity in the early Christian era due to its association with Saint Nicholas, a 4th-century Christian saint and Greek bishop of Myra in Lycia, which is now part of modern-day Turkey. Saint Nicholas was renowned for his generosity and became the inspiration for the legendary figure of Santa Claus.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nikolas can be found in the Septuagint, an ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, where it appears as the name of one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile in the 5th century BC.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the name Nikolas. One of the most famous was Nikolas of Damascus, a Greek historian, philosopher, and tutor to the Roman emperor Augustus in the 1st century BC.

Another prominent figure was Nikolas of Cusa, a 15th-century German philosopher, mathematician, and theologian who made significant contributions to the Renaissance era. He was born in 1401 and died in 1464.

In the realm of literature, Nikolas Gogol, a Russian novelist and dramatist, is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 19th century. He was born in 1809 and died in 1852.

Nikolas Copernicus, the renowned Polish astronomer who formulated the heliocentric model of the solar system, challenging the long-held geocentric model, was born in 1473 and died in 1543.

Nikolas Tesla, a Serbian-American inventor and electrical engineer, is famous for his contributions to the design of the modern alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. He was born in 1856 and died in 1943.